KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER — Here’s a quick look at work planned in the Tyler District of the Texas Department of Transportation.

RUSK COUNTY — The Texas Department of Transportation’s annual preventative maintenance program known as “District-Wide Seal Coat” is scheduled to continue work this week in Rusk County, weather permitting. Crews are scheduled to apply a seal coat to the following roadways in the coming week:
*State Highway 149 between the Gregg County Line and Tatum;
*State Highway 322 between Farm Road 2011 and Farm Road 1249; then move into Gregg County later in the week on Farm Road 2087, between Loop 281 in Longview and Farm Road 349 in Kilgore. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two lane areas. Loose gravel may be present for several days following a seal coat application. Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes if possible to avoid delays.

TYLER — Construction crews are scheduled to continue several weeks of nighttime work on Tyler’s WSW Loop 323 between State Highway 155 (Frankston Highway) and Bellwood Drive, which is just south of the railroad overpass near West Front Street. Crews are scheduled to work from 7:00pm to 5:00am through Thursday repairing and then resurfacing the roadway. Temporary lane-closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and motorists should be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zone.

Also in Smith County, TxDOT maintenance crews are scheduled to continue resurfacing operations on Farm Road 16 on either side of U.S. Highway 69 in Lindale. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

GREGG COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue pavement repairs on Interstate Highway 20, both eastbound and westbound, between State Highway 135 and the Smith County Line. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress. Motorists should be prepared to reduce speed and merge in and around the work zone.

Looking ahead, work associated with TxDOT’s District-Wide Seal Coat Program is scheduled to begin in Gregg County as early as this week, with work on Farm Road 2087 beginning as early as Tuesday between Loop 281 in Longview and Farm Road 349 in Kilgore. Once work on FM 2087 is complete, crews are scheduled to seal Farm Road 1252 between State Highway 135 near Liberty City and State Highway 42; and Farm Road 3053 south of Liberty City between State Highway 31 and Rusk County line. Daytime lane closures will be in effect in each location while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two lane areas. Loose gravel may be present for several days following a seal coat application. Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes if possible to avoid delays.

WILLS POINT — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue base and pavement repairs in various locations on Farm Road 47 between U.S. Highway 80 and Interstate Highway 20 in the Wills Point area. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic in two-lane areas.

HENDERSON COUNTY — Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews this week are scheduled to continue resurfacing operations on Farm Road 316 between U.S. Highway 175 and Ranch Road 2329. Once the work is complete, crews will stay on FM 316 to work on the shoulders and ditches. Daytime lane closures will be in effect while the work is in progress, and flaggers will control traffic.

TYLER – Tyler police are looking for the armed gunman who robbed the Speedy Exxon Gas Station located at 900 West Front Street. It happened just before 5:30 Sunday morning. The store clerk told officers a man entered the business and approached the counter holding a handgun demanding money. He fled southbound on foot with an undetermined amount of cash. He is described as a black male between 5’5” and 5’7” tall and around 140 pounds wearing sunglass, a black shirt with a black bandana over his face and a black rag covering his head. No injuries were reported.

TYLER – A historical marker now stands at the site of the old Emmett J. Scott High School. The land, which is not vacant, is owned by Texas College. The city unveiled the marker during a ceremony Saturday morning. In accordance with the Tyler 21 North End Action Plan, in 2009, the City of Tyler launched a three year program to promote Tyler Historic Landmarks and the installation of historic markers and plaques at North End locations that are important to our city’s history, including the history of the African-American community.

The original high school in Tyler for African Americans was established in 1888 in the old West End School building on South Herndon Avenue. It was a four-room structure that housed grades one through ten. The building burned in 1921, which caused school sessions to be held in churches within the city.

A new building was erected in 1923. The location was changed to North Border Avenue since neighbors protested rebuilding the school on South Herndon. The new school building was renamed Emmett Scott Junior High and was used for both elementary and high school grades. When W. A. Peete and T. J. Austin elementary schools were built, the small building formerly used for elementary grades became the Emmett Scott homemaking department.

In 1949, what began as a four-room school with a graduating class of four students became Emmett J. Scott High School on West Lincoln Street (now M. L. King Jr. Boulevard). The school included 26 classrooms, an administrative suite, library, cafeteria, shop, auditorium, gymnasium and band hall.

Emmett J. Scott High School closed in June 1970, through an integration order affecting all Texas public schools.

FLINT – Firefighters have contained a brush fire in southwestern Smith County. It has scorched about three acres of land off County Road 1102 just west of Flint. It was reported around 2:00 Saturday afternoon. No structures are in danger. It is said to have started when a brush fire got out of control. No injuries have been reported.

TYLER — An assistant attorney general in the Child Support Division’s Tyler office, Carrie Tibiletti, has been named “Assistant Attorney General of the Year” for the Child Support Division’s Tyler region, which covers 43 counties. She was cited for her commitment to Texas children. Attorney General Greg Abbott presented the award to Tibiletti at the Statewide Assistant Attorneys General Conference in Houston.

“Carrie Tibiletti’s hard work and dedication help ensure thousands of young Texans receive the child support they need to become healthy, successful adults,” Attorney General Abbott said. “A committed and selfless public servant, Carrie stands out as one of the state’s most dedicated and impressive lawyers. We are grateful to Carrie Tibiletti
for her commitment to Texas children.”

Tibiletti, who joined the Office of the Attorney General in 2003, represents the State of Texas in legal actions to establish paternity between children of unmarried parents and their biological fathers. As an assistant attorney general, she also works to establish, enforce and modify court orders that require parents to provide child support and
medical support. Tibiletti also was named “Assistant Attorney General of the Year” in 2006 when she served as a staff attorney in the Longview child support office.

Tibiletti, a graduate of St. Mary’s University School of Law, was chosen to be the region’s “Assistant Attorney General of the Year” because of her ability to handle complex legal issues that arise on child support cases. In addition, her strong leadership skills and team building efforts significantly aided her office in exceeding its goals for
establishing paternity and child support orders.

JACKSONVILLE – One person has been arrested in connection with oil field thefts in southern Cherokee County. Arrested at a Jacksonville motel, where he had been staying, was Ricky Lee Schakosky, 26. He was arrested on outstanding warrants. Inside the trunk of his car, authorities recovered batteries and some other oil field equipment that had been taken from oil sites in Cherokee and Houston Counties. Investigators believe he is responsible for several other oil field thefts in Cherokee, Angelina, Nacogdoches and Houston Counties.

TYLER – One person is in custody in connection with a Tyler stabbing that left two people injured. Tyler police were called to the emergency room of Mother Frances Hospital in connection with the Friday night stabbing. The victims told officers they had been stabbed during a confrontation in the Wendy’s parking lot at 427 West Front Street. They identified their attacker as Crystal Eiglebiger, 26, of Tyler. After interviewing witnesses, officers arrested Eiglebiger when she showed up in the lobby of the police department. She was booked into the Smith County Jail on two counts of aggravated assault.

MOUNT PLEASANT (AP) — Federal officials say they’ve reached a settlement with Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. in a case involving an employee fired after raising environmental concerns about the East Texas chicken producer.

John M. Hermanson is regional administrator in Dallas for the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. He says employees must feel free to exercise their legal rights “without fear of termination or other retaliation by their employers.”

OSHA began investigating after a former Pilgrim’s Pride manager in Mount Pleasant complained of being fired for alerting the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to pollution problems. They included process and storm water discharges containing excessive amounts of chromium, lead and mercury.

Greeley, Colo.-based Pilgrim’s Pride agrees to pay its former manager $50,000. In return, the former employee won’t seek reinstatement.

LONGVIEW — A Kilgore woman was in the Gregg County Jail Friday after being charged Thursday with possession of a variety of drugs and attempting to smuggle marijuana into the facility. According to the Longview News-Journal, Kristi Lang, 36, consented to a search of her purse by Longview police that revealed multiple kinds of drugs. Police had been informed by a witness, after his arrest, that he had received a fraudulent prescription from Lang, and that she might have more drugs.

After being taken to the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office, a routine strip search of narcotics suspects revealed Lang had small bags of marijuana stashed in her bra. Lang was held on bonds totaling $9,500. She is charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of a dangerous drug, and prohibited substance in a correctional facility.

MARSHALL -– A 54-year-old Harleton woman has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations. Tamara Lynn Olivares pleaded guilty on March 30 to possession of pseudoephedrine with intent to manufacture methamphetamine and was sentenced to 43 months in federal prison.

According to information presented in court, on August 14, 2010, Olivares purchased cold pills containing pseudoephedrine at a CVS store in Marshall with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine. Olivares admitted to possessing between 100 and 300 grams of pseudoephedrine.

DALLAS (AP) – The body of automobile designer Carroll Shelby could remain in a Dallas morgue for another month while his children and his wife fight in court. A Dallas judge Friday scheduled a July 26 trial to decide the claims made by both sides. Shelby’s three children say their father signed paperwork weeks before his May death giving them authority to cremate his remains and distribute them. Shelby’s last wife, Cleo, contends that paperwork was forged. She wants to decide what to do with his remains. Judge Jim Jordan said Friday he would decide at trial unless a settlement is reached beforehand. Shelby, a Texas native who also lived in Los Angeles, was a champion race car driver who built powerful engines for Ford’s Mustang and Chrysler’s Viper. He died at 89.

TULSA, OKLA. (AP) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Tulsa has approved a segment of TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline planned to run from Cushing, Oklahoma to Texas. Ross Adkins, chief of public affairs for the Tulsa district, confirmed the decision Friday. If the overall project is approved by the president, the pipeline would eventually transport tar sands oil from western Canada down to refineries along the Texas Gulf Coast. A portion of the pipeline would go through eastern Smith County. TransCanada needs Corps approval for its wetlands and water-crossing plans. The company awaits a similar decision from the Corps’ Fort Worth, Texas district. The Obama administration shelved the project earlier this year, explaining that officials needed more time to study alternate routes that would bypass certain environmentally sensitive areas in Nebraska. The pipeline has drawn opposition from environmental groups like the Sierra Club.

MARSHALL — A 29-year-old Karnack man has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations. Britton Clay Podzemny pleaded guilty on Feb. 27 to possession of pseudoephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine and was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison on June 28. On July 26, 2009, Podzemny purchased cold pills containing pseudoephedrine at Walgreens and Wal-Mart stores in Longview. Podzemny also made additional purchases at other stores on other occasions in the area, all in furtherance of his methamphetamine manufacturing activities.

TYLER — The Tyler Police Department requests that drivers be aware of route changes for the 4th of July celebration at Lindsey Park on Spur 364. Beginning at 8:30 p.m. Spur 364 at Greenbriar Road will be closed to all eastbound traffic. Officers are requesting any resident who lives off Spur 364 between Loop 323 and Greenbriar Road, who needs to get home during this time, to present his or her driver’s license showing proof of residency to the officers stationed at this location. Officers will allow residents only to proceed westbound on Spur 364.

At the completion of the program, the two left turn lanes eastbound on Highway 31 at Loop 323 will be closed. Traffic will not be allowed to turn left, north, onto Loop 323 from the eastbound lanes of Highway 31. You’re urged to be aware of officers in the roadway directing traffic. The Tyler Police Department also reminds everyone that alcohol, smoking, and fireworks are prohibited in all City of Tyler Parks; that includes Lake Tyler Parks.

HARRISON COUNTY — Harrison County officials continue to search for missing person Jason Alan Dillard. Dillard, 36, is described as 6’2”– 6’5” and 240 pounds. He was last seen at a house on Rupe Huffman Rd. in rural Harrison County on June 17 when he told people at the address that he was going to Lake O’the Pines. He has not been seen since he left the Rupe Huffman address and his vehicle was discovered abandoned at an address a few miles away on Edmonson Rd. that same day.

Investigators and family members have followed numerous tips regarding the whereabouts of Dillard, but have not been able to locate him through the information that has tied him to the northwestern area of the county and in Longview. Sheriff’s K-9 units and investigators have searched an area in Harleton where he was supposedly last seen to seek any evidence of his whereabouts.

There are no criminal charges filed against Mr. Dillard, but the family and authorities are concerned about the well-being of Mr. Dillard due to the extreme heat. Any information regarding the missing person may be directed to the Criminal Investigation Section of the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office at 903-923-4000.

LONGVIEW — Longview police have arrested two juveniles and are looking for a third after a string of car vandalism incidents. On the morning of June 21, around 7:00, police began receiving calls from residents in the Pine Tree area. These citizens were reporting that their tires had been slashed, and their cars painted with graffiti or “keyed.” Officers determined that the vandalism occurred in the area of Gilmer Road and Toler Road and extended as far south as the Regency Park Apartments on Gilmer Road. According to some victims, the vandalism happened overnight. Police believe that this is related to another string of vandalisms that occurred earlier this week in the same area.

Police are continuing to investigate further and encourage anyone with information to contact the Longview Police Department at 903-237-1170. Citizens with information who wish to remain anonymous may submit a tip to Gregg County Crimestoppers at http://www.greggcountycrimestoppers.org or 903-236-STOP (7867).

TYLER — Tyler Police are looking for a suspect accused of stabbing a woman. It happened around 8:20 Friday morning at Moore Grocery Lofts on Broadway. According to police the woman’s son told dispatchers that his mother had been stabbed. The victim has been identified by a family member as Victoria Massey, 40, a secretary for Judge Quincy Beavers. Massey was taken to East Texas Medical Center and is listed critical condition. Neighbors of Massey told KETK, police are looking for a man named George Terry. It is unknown what the connection is between Terry and this incident. He’s described as a black male last seen wearing a red shirt.

Anyone with information about the suspect involved in this crime are urged to contact the Tyler Police Department, at 903-531-1000, or Crimestoppers, at 903-597-CUFF. (903-597-2833)

LUFKIN — A group of thieves made off worth $2500 worth of electronics from a Lufkin store by hiding it in a leaf blower box. Lufkin Police tell KETK, the items were stolen from Conn’s department store on the 3000 block of South John Redditt Drive June 13. Security video shows three men and one woman entered the store separately, but worked together to steal the merchandise.

Three suspects distracted employees, while one man removed a leaf blower from the packaging and loaded the empty box down with several iPod Touches, as well as Sony and Samsung tablets. The thief then checked out as if buying box carrying a leaf blower, getting away with thousands of dollars worth of electronics. Police are still looking for the thieves.

TYLER – An electrical problem is said to be the cause of a Smith County fire. It occurred just before 5:00 yesterday afternoon at the FedEx building on the Loop 323 extension just northeast of Tyler. The fire was contained to one room and no injuries were reported.

PALESTINE – An Anderson County woman has been arrested, accused of providing alcohol to minors at a birthday party. She is also accused of attacking a woman who picked up her daughter at the party. Taken into custody was Rosharon Lummus, 38, of Palestine. The incident is said to have occurred at Lummus’ home on County Road 2150, southwest of Palestine. Anderson County Sheriff Greg Taylor said Lummus is being held in the county jail in lieu of bonds totaling $80,000.

LAKEPORT – A mobile home in Gregg County has been leveled by fire. The mobile home, four miles south of Lakeport, and a pickup, were destroyed by the blaze around 7:00 Thursday morning. The resident, Robert English, was not injured. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

LONGVIEW — Police in Longview want to remind citizens of the dangers of leaving children and animals alone in vehicles, whether the vehicle’s engine is running or not. Every year, as temperatures rise, Longview police respond to numerous calls of children and pets locked inside a vehicle. Summer heat can bring temperatures inside a vehicle soaring to over 100 degrees in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, children can also be left in vehicles because they are forgotten in their car seats. Children also get into vehicles to play and cannot get out, resulting in tragic outcomes. Animals are also often left in vehicles when the owner runs errands or goes into a store to pick up a few things.

Last week, Longview police arrested Caron Carson Ford, 34, of Marshall. Police say she left her small child in an unlocked vehicle with the motor running for approximately 30 minutes while she shopped inside the Longview Mall.

TYLER — The Tyler City Council is mulling over the results of a new water rate study that proposes a 2% water rate increase and a 7% wastewater rate hike. Greg Morgan is the city’s director of utilities and public works. He tells KETK the city has a history of long-range water planning. According to Morgan, “The five-year studies that we’re doing are just part of that proactive long-range planning that we do.” The study concluded that Tyler’s water rates are currently among the lowest in the state.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Louie Gohmert of Tyler expresses anger over the Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act. Gohmert joined others in saying Americans were told the individual mandate would not be a tax. Gohmert spoke at a Tea Party Patriots press conference following the ruling. Among his remarks: “If America doesn’t wake up and replace all of those who lied to them to get this bill passed, then shame on us.” You can go to http://www.gohmert.house.gov to see the press conference video in full.

LUFKIN — Two copper thieves are under arrest after accidentally dialing 911 early Wednesday morning. Shortly after midnight, Lufkin authorities were sent to the area of Daniel McCall Drive and College Drive to a possible theft in-progress after dispatchers received a 911 call from one of the thieves. According to KETK, the dispatcher told authorities it appeared they called on accident and two men were talking about the theft.

Officials said they were able to figure out the suspects’ general location before the bandits left the scene. When officers arrived, they found and stopped Kevin D. Williamson, 32,(pictured) and Charles A. Williamson, 30, near the intersection of College Drive and South John Redditt Drive.

Inside the vehicle, authorities found aluminum and copper wire stolen from a construction site near the intersection of Daniel McCall Drive and College Drive. Both alleged burglars were booked into the Angelina County Jail on theft of material.

BEAUMONT — A 48-year-old Garrison woman has been sentenced for bank fraud. Terry Lynn Batson pleaded guilty on March 16 to bank fraud and was sentenced yesterday to 27 months in federal prison. Batson was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $154,634.64. According to information presented in court, from 2005 to 2011, Batson worked as a care giver for two elderly Nacogdoches County residents. On February 10, 2011, relatives of the two elderly residents contacted law enforcement authorities after reviewing bank accounts belonging to the two elderly residents and determining approximately $154,634.64 was missing. Batson admitted to writing checks out of the accounts to pay her personal debts and without permission from the account holders.

EAST TEXAS — One person has died in an early Thursday morning wreck in Panola County. According to KETK, the one-vehicle roll over happened just before 6:00 along Highway 59 at County Road 4215, between Tenaha and Carthage. No word on the name of the victim or the cause of the wreck.

TYLER — A Tyler Police Officer is injured while conducting a traffic stop. Late Wednesday night, Officer T.J. Goodpasture had a vehicle stopped along Highway 110 South when a teen driver heading southbound on 110 drove up on the scene. The juvenile driver is said to have swerved around the first patrol car, and then swerved back into the lane, striking the second patrol car. Goodpasture was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and was released from the hospital early Thursday morning. The Department of Public Safety is investigating the wreck.

ATLANTA – A suspect is in custody in connection with the Monday morning robbery of the Wells Fargo Bank in Atlanta Texas. Robin Marion Allen, 52, of Atlanta turned himself in to authorities on Wednesday. Earlier, a judge had issued a warrant for Allen’s arrest in the case.

The robbery occurred around 9:15 Monday morning at the Wells Fargo Bank on Main Street in Altanta. A man gave a teller a note demanding money, and then fled on foot. No injuries were reported.

TYLER — After a lengthy nationwide search, the City of Tyler has hired a new City Librarian. Mary Vernau, who is currently the Library Director at Altoona Public Library in Altoona, Wisconsin, will begin her new assignment on August 6. She succeeds Chris Albertson who retired at the end of last year. Albertson was Tyler’s longest serving librarian with over 30 years on the job.

The hiring process consisted of initial applications and a questionnaire, followed by a skype interview. After the field was narrowed down, candidates interviewed with a three-person panel consisting of City of Tyler leaders. The finalists then had an interview with City Manager Mark McDaniel.

“Mary was recommended unanimously before I interviewed her myself and checked references,” McDaniel said. “She appears to be a very good match for what we need to take the Library into the future in terms of practices, services, technology and outreach.”

Vernau graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Library Science, Magna Cum Laude, from Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin and a Master of Arts in Library and Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin, in Madison, Wisconsin. She is a member of the American Library Association as well as the Wisconsin Library Association and she has more than 15 years of experience.